A barbecue’s aroma can turn many of us into drooling fools

The aroma curling up from the grill makes me practically tipsy. As it happens, I am smoking beef short ribs. A leisurely bath in the vapours deepens their beefy flavour and softens their chewy texture. But I could be smoking anything, really: chicken, pork shoulder, brisket. The alchemy of low-and-slow smoking would intoxicate, no matter the meat.